A lot of people shop online with regularity. This increases the amount of delivery trucks zipping and zooming through your neighborhood and near your place of work. While that shouldn’t make too much of a difference on your daily life, it certainly can if you’re involved in an accident with a delivery truck or van. One of these wrecks can leave you with serious injuries that are painful and physically limiting, and you can be knocked out of work for a significant period of time. The losses can quickly accumulate, too, leaving you uncertain about the future. While this can create a lot of stress and anxiety, do your best to not let it consume you. Instead, diligently work to figure out the best way to build your personal injury case.
When can you file a personal injury claim after a delivery truck accident?
There are several circumstances that may warrant a legal claim against a negligent delivery driver and their employer. As you analyze the facts of your case, be sure to think about how you can loop in any truck or van owners or employers, as these entities will be better positioned to pay you for any damages that you’ve suffered. That said, here are some circumstances that may warrant legal action after a delivery truck or van accident:
- Speeding: Delivery drivers are on tight timelines. If they start to fall behind, their day can get considerably longer. Therefore, you may see delivery trucks and vans speeding by. This can increase the amount of time and distance needed to bring the vehicle to a safe stop, and it can increase the severity of any accidents that occur. If you can demonstrate that a delivery driver was speeding at the time of your accident, then you’ll be in a strong position to recover the compensation you need.
- Distraction: Looking for delivery addresses, consulting navigation devices and engaging with a personal electronic device like a cellphone can all take a delivery driver’s eyes off the road. When that happens, they can cross over center lines, veer off the road leading to overcorrection or blow past a stop sign or traffic signal. This can result in a devastating collision that leaves innocent motorists like you seriously hurt.
- Negligent reversing: Backing up a delivery truck can be more challenging than it seems. After all, these vehicles can be big and bulky, rendering them hard to maneuver and making it difficult for drivers to see their surroundings. It doesn’t help that a lot of these drivers throw their vehicles into reverse and slam on the gas without much attention being paid to their surroundings. This can take you by surprise and result in an injurious collision.
- Improper cargo securement: With so many people buying things online, delivery drivers regularly have multiple stops on the same street. To save themselves time and energy, they might cruise down the road with their back or side door open so that they can more easily access packages to be delivered. But if those packages are improperly secured, then one or more could come lose and fall out of the truck or van. This forces you to take evasive action that could result in a serious wreck.
Fight for the accountability and compensation you deserve
The way you approach your personal injury case will have a profound impact on its outcome. To increase your chances of winning your case and securing the compensation you need, gather as much evidence as possible to prove negligence, causation and the extent of your damages. If you’d like to learn more about what all that entails, then please be sure to discuss the matter with your attorney.
